A Survey on Computational Propaganda Detection
It addresses the problem of detecting online propaganda campaigns that influence social network users, but it is incremental as it synthesizes existing research.
This survey reviews computational propaganda detection methods using Natural Language Processing and Network Analysis, highlighting the need for combined efforts and discussing current challenges and future directions.
Propaganda campaigns aim at influencing people's mindset with the purpose of advancing a specific agenda. They exploit the anonymity of the Internet, the micro-profiling ability of social networks, and the ease of automatically creating and managing coordinated networks of accounts, to reach millions of social network users with persuasive messages, specifically targeted to topics each individual user is sensitive to, and ultimately influencing the outcome on a targeted issue. In this survey, we review the state of the art on computational propaganda detection from the perspective of Natural Language Processing and Network Analysis, arguing about the need for combined efforts between these communities. We further discuss current challenges and future research directions.